Temples & Monuments - in Assam

Nestled in the Brahmaputra valley this state has Tantrik Shaktism, Shivaism and later Vaishnavism flourishing in its laps. From time to time people from different races, religion and culture have migrated to this place. The Mohmmedan invasions brought Islam into the state. Sikhism flourished here, Buddhist communities have kept the flag of Buddhism flying high. The famous Gurudwara at Dhubri established by the ninth Sikh Guru Teg Bahadur is held in the high veneration by the sikhs throughout the country. With the advent of new faith & religion many temples and monuments were built all over Assam. Most of these architectural graduers belong to the medieval period and represent the architectural style of the Koch, Kachari and Ahom royal courts. These temples and monuments, spread almost all over Assam, bear silent witness to a glorious past. Kamakhya Temple The Shakti Temple of mother Goddess Kamakhya situated on the top of Nilachal Hills, overlooking river Brahmaputra, is 8 Km. away from the railway station of Guwahati. The greatest shrine of tantric Shaktism find mention in the inscription of the Allahabad pillar of Samudragupta. Devotees from all over India converge on this holy place during Ambubashi and Manasha Puja. City buses ply regularly to Kamakhya. It can be easily reached by auto-rickshaw as well. Nabagraha Temple The temple of nine planets situated on Chitra Chal Hill in Guwahati. It is 3 km away from the Railway Station. In ancient times, it was said to have been a great centre of study of astronomy and astrology. This is also one of the reasons why Guwahati is referred to as Pragjyotishpur or the city of eastern Astrology. It can be approached by taxi or auto-rickshaw. Umananda Temple The great Shiva temple situated on the Peacock island in the middle of the Brahmaputra in Guwahati attracts devotees from all over the country during Shiva Ratri. One can visit the temple by crossing the river by country boat plying from Kachari ghat. On the north bank of the Brahmaputra, opposite Guwahati, where the third Pandava Arjun is believed to have watered his horse while undertaking journey during Ashwamedh Yajna. Regular ferry services are available to this place. Basisthashram Situated in the southern-most rim of Guwahati city on the Sandhyachal hill is a well known holy cum picnic spot, called Basisthashram, after the great vedic Sage Bashistha, who is said to have lived here. Three rivulets named Sandhya, Lalita and Kanta meet here and flow perenially adding scenic grandeur to the place. It is 12 Kms. from the Guwahati Railway Station. City buses ply regularly to the Ashram. Mahabhairab Temple An ancient temple where King Bana worshipped Mahabhairab, another incarnation of Lord Shiva. A place of pilgrimage. Madan Kamdev Barely 40 kms. away from the sprawling metropolis Guwahati, on N.H. 52 Madan Kamdev is an enigma, a mystery, a marvel and in the words of Omar Khayam, "a veil past which I could not see". Very little is known about the origin of this magnificient archaeological ruins.Written history is almost silent on it, leaving wide room for conjectures and hypothesis. Kamrupa - the ancient name of Assam, is believed to have derived its name from the legend that love God Kama or Madan, after being turned into ashes by an angry Shiva, was reborn here. One school believes that Madan was reborn and united to Rati on this tiny hillock. The season to visit is from October to May. Poa-Mecca There is also a mosque built by Pir Giasuddin Aulia and is held that it has one-fourth sanctity of Mecca and so it is known as Poa-Mecca. It is believed that by offering prayer a faithful gains one-fourth (poa) spiritual enlightenment of what could be gained at Mecca and so is known as Poa-Mecca. Da-Parbatia The ruins of the door frame of Da-Parbatia Temple a few kms. from Tezpur town, is perhaps the finest and oldest specimen of sculptural or iconoclastic art in Assam. It's carving has the characteristics of the style of early Gupta School of sculpture. The door-jambs having two goddesses, Ganga and Yamuna, standing below with garlands in their hands in artistic pose and elegance are decorated with beautiful ornamental foliage. Agnigarh "Preserving the sweet memory of young lovers", Agnigarh or the rampart, surrounded by fire, is perhaps the most beautiful tourist spots in Tezpur. According to legend, Princess Usha, the only daughter of King Bana, was kept inside the palace which was surrounded by rampart of fire. The present Agnigarh, now only a hillock facing the mighty Brahmaputra, provides the tourist a soul touching panoramic view of both the river and Tezpur town.

Oil in Assam

Assam is the first state in the country where in 1889 oil was struck at Digboi. Assam can boast of having the oldest oil refinery in the country. This refinery set up at Digboi, in Tinsukia district, started commercial production in 1901. The refinery, now belonging to the Assam Division of the Indian Oil Corporation, has a refining capacity of 3 lakh tonnes of petrol, kerosene, diesel and other petroleum products. The second refinery in Assam was set up at Noonmati in Guwahati under the public sector. It started production in 1962. It produces liquified petroleum gas (LPG), petrol, kerosene, diesel, furnace oil, coke etc. The third refinery in the region was established at Dhaligoan near Bongaigaon in 1962. It is known as Bongaigaon Refinery and Petro-Chemicals Limited (BRPL). The fourth refinery in the state was established at Numaligarh of Golaghat district in 1999, with a refining capacity of 3 million tonnes of oil and other products.

Kaziranga National Park - home of the world famous one-horned rhino!

Situated in Nagaon and Golaghat districts of Assam on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra, Kaziranga lies at the foot of the Mikir Hills that rise to a height of 1,220 m., some eight kilometres from Bokakhat. Wetlands, grasslands, forests and riverine habitats fed by the Brahmaputra River… Kaziranga has them all."No one can enter the place. It is all swamps and leeches and even elephants cannot go there", was the response of a British forest officer in 1930 to the famous naturalist E.P. Gee, author of Wildlife of India, who had requested permission to visit Kaziranga. Today, Kaziranga is a World Heritage Site and is probably one of the richest, most picturesque wildlife habitats of southern Asia. November to April is the best time to visit. These winter months are generally mild and dry with mean maximum and minimum temperatures at 25°C and 5°C respectively. The park is closed from June to September.The best distance visibility is between February and April when the tall elephant grass is burned. Dry and windy summers extend from mid-February to May with mean maximum temperatures at 37°C and minimum temperatures of 7°C. Accommodation Lodges, guesthouses and hotels owned by the Assam Tourism Department ensure a comfortable stay at Kohora. The tariff in these hotels suits every budget. Aranya is the most comfortable with large rooms-A/C and non A/C and room service. Bonani is smaller with five A/C rooms and a restaurant. Bonoshree has eight double rooms with attached baths. Kunjaban has a dormitory arrangement. Reservations must be made at the Tourist Office or Park Headquarters.For information on the tourist lodges, call the Joint Director Tourism Kaziranga, Dist. Golaghat, Assam 785109. Tel.:03776-4523/4529. At Kohora, Bagori and Bokaghat, government accommodation is available.The Kaziranga Forest Lodge is run by the ITDC and has a bar and A/C rooms. Permissions and bookings can be requested from the Director, Kaziranga National Park, Dist. Jorhat, Assam. Wild Grass ranks among the more special of the country's accommodation providers for natural area visitors. Located in the middle of Bochagoan village of Kaziranga, this attractive hotel is set in a rural setting with its grounds having more than 40 species of full-grown trees and over 200 species of climbers, creepers and shrubs.. There is an in-house naturalist as well as three excellent birdwatchers capable of identifying over 300 species of birds and local species of trees and plants. For reservations, contact the Wild Grass Lodge at Kaziranga. Tel.: 03776-624374 or the Head Office in Guwahati at Barua Bhavan, 107, M.C. Road, Uzanbazar, Guwahati - 781001. Tel.:0361 - 546827; Fax: 541186. Transport By Air: Jorhat is about 90 km away from Kaziranga and the closest airport. Transport should be arranged beforehand to receive one at the airport through the lodge. The drive from Guwahati airport is 220 km, but the road is picturesque and extremely motorable. Arrange a pickup and if not vehicles can be rented on the spot. By Rail: Jorhat (90 km.) Furketing (75 km.) and Guwahati (200 km.) are the nearest stations from where you must take a bus or hire a private vehicle. By Road: Bokakhat (23 km) is the closest town. State transport buses, A/C and non-A/C ply daily between Guwahati and Kaziranga. The Department of Tourism, Government of Assam, conducts package tours to Kaziranga from Guwahati everyday except Tuesdays and Fridays. The buses leave Guwahati at 10.30 am and return at 4.00 pm the following day. Reservations can be made at the Tourism office in Guwahati. Within the reserve: Four-wheeled vehicles that can handle rough, though motorable, roads make the most sense. These can be rented on a per kilometre basis plus a toll fee. Permission to enter the park must be obtained from the Range Forest Office and an armed forest guard must be present in every vehicle (personal vehicles are also allowed on payment of fees). Mihimukh near Kohora is the most popular starting point for most visitors. Early morning rides (5.30 and 7.00 a.m.) on Forest Department elephants can be booked here. Walking inside the park is strictly prohibited, but birdwatching on foot (take a guide) outside the park boundary or even along the national highway can be very rewarding.

Tea Festival Assam

A fusion of tea, music and enjoyment, the Tea Festival is a popular festival of Assam. It is celebrated in Jorhat and is hosted by Assam Tourism. Assam is the largest tea producing state in India and is famous for its tea all over the world. The festival is held in November every year. Participating in this festival is a great experience. You get to taste different kinds of tea under one roof. Not only this the festival offers several wonderful opportunities: a journey through the tea gardens, a visit to the Golf course, jungle safaris, angling, river rafting and romantic River Cruises. If you happen to be in Assam during the Tea festival, do participate in it. The memories of this unique festival will be long remembered. Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC) in Guwahati is the venue for the festival. This Tea Festival attracts a lot of tourists from far and wide and hence plays a significant role the economy of Assam. Visitors take back home several packets of tea leaves to relish the tasty tea of Assam for months together. The festival also offers an opportunity to mingle with Assamese and know their culture. Cultural functions are organised during the festival for entertainment purpose. So many opportunities rolled into one – Tea Festival.

Assam Tea Tourism Festival -About Assam Tea

Assam tea is renowned for its rich, full-bodied bright liquor. For those who favour a cup of tea with a punch, Assam is the answer. To celebrate the ‘Tea Festival’, one’s visit to Assam is an experience to be savoured for a lifetime. Legend Angle Legend has it that the founder of Zen Buddhism – Darauma or Bodhidharma – first created the tea plant. Centuries ago, while meditating near Nanking in China, the saint fell asleep. On waking up, he was so livid that he punished himself by cutting off his eyelids. Where the eyelids dropped to earth a strange plant came up. It was found that the leaves of the plant could give a brew that could banish sleep. Thus, the tea plant was born and the ‘beverage that cheers’ came into being. Claims Too Many During his travels, Major Robert Bruce came into close contact with Bessagaum, Singpho chief in Assam. Bessagaum gave Bruce some indigenous tea plants and seeds in 1823. This incident is described as the discovery of tea in India. But Robert’s brother Charles Bruce, who was working for the East India Company, took credit for discovering tea in India by stating himself as “the man of destiny who first penetrated the forests and visited the tea tracts in British Suddiya”. He continued to stand by this claim. However, in 1841, he was challenged by Lieutenant Charlton (who had been serving in Assam) who claimed that it was he who had sent tea plants to the Agricultural & Horticultural Society as long back as 1831.

Tea in Assam

Of the agriculture-based industries, tea occupies an important place in Assam. The plants used to grow naturally in the Upper Brahmaputra valley. Robert Bruce, an official of the British empire, who is credited with the discovery of tea in Assam in 1823, gave publicity of the existence of the plant, the leaves of which were boiled to prepare the tea. In Assam, tea is grown both in the Brahmaputra and Barak plains. Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sibsagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Nagaon and Sonitpur are the districts where tea gardens are mostly found. Assam produces 51% of the tea produced in India and about 1/6th of the tea produced in the world. In 1911 a Tea Research Centre was started at Toklai in Jorhat for developing more scientific and fruitful methods of cultivating tea plants, applying fertilizer, testing soil, selecting sites for garden and processing tea leaves. This is the oldest and largest Tea Research Centre in the world. Instant tea project was established at the Tea Research Centre of Toklai Experimental Station in 1974. Instant tea is a golden coloured powder which dissolves in hot or cold water easily. For a better marketing of the tea produced in Assam and the entire North EasternStates, a Tea Auction Centre - Guwahati Tea Auction Centre - was established in 1970 at Guwahati. This is the world's largest CTC tea auction centre and the world's second largest in terms of total tea. It now auctions more than 150 million kg of tea valued at more than Rs 550.00 crores annually. Tea industry has contributed substantially to the economy of Assam. About 17 percent of the workers of Assam are engaged in the tea industry.

Welcome- Assam Tourism

Stretched out like a soaring bird, Assam is comprised of three main geographical areas: the Brahmaputra Valley, the Barak valley and the North Cachar Hills. Assam is synonymous with unspoiled natural beauty, teeming wildlife, immaculate tea gardens and warm, beautiful people. It’s strategic location in the northeast of India, and it’s accessibility from the rest of the country makes it the gateway to the northeastern states. It shares borders with Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram and West Bengal: and has National Highways leading to their capital cities. Assam also shares international borders with Bhutan and Bangladesh. The Brahmaputra Valley is an alluvial plain about 724 kms in length and 81 kms in breadth. It is enclosed on the north by the mighty Himalayas, south by the Garo, Khasi, Jaintia and Naga Hills. The Brahmaputra, the lifeline of the valley which shares it's name, floods the nearby land with fertile silt every eyar to ensure a rich harvest. To the south of the valley are the charming hills of Karbi Anglong. Further south are the North Cachar Hills. Located here, amidst beutiful orchards, is Assam' s only hill station, Haflong. The southern part of Assam is the Barak Valley, which derives its name from the Barak river. This region is a treasure trove of untouched natural beauty. Green is the predominant colour of the state with an impressive 35% forest cover and thousands of hectares under tea cultivatation. Assam has five national parks including the World Heritage Sites of Kazirnaga and Manas, and 20 Wildlife sanctuaries. The great Indian one-horned rhinocerous is one of Assam's most famous denizens. Supporting the state's abundant wildlife and luscious vegetation are the monsoons which stretch fo late May to September, but there are intermittent rains even in the winters. Winters begins in late November and continues till February. Winter mornigns in most parts of Assam are marked by dense fog giving the land an aura of ethereal beauty. Over the centuries, people of various ethnic, religious and linguistic backgrounds have been attracted to the fertile valleys of Assam making it a mosiac of various cultures. It is no wonder then that Assam is said to be like a miniature of the whole country itself. Brahmaputra Flowing majestically along the Assam Valley is the mighty Brahmaputra. The Brahmaputra originates from Chemayung-Dung glacier near Mount Kailash and the Manas Sarovar. It is known here as the Tsang-Po or the purifier. The river flows for a mind boggling distance of 640 km through the Tibetan plateau and it enters India through the steep country side of Arunachal Pradesh till it finally emerges from the foothills to enter Assam in Dhemaji district, west of Sadiya. In Assam, the Brahmaputra is a vast, placid river through most of the year with a river bed which is 10 kms wide in certain areas. At Saraighat, in Guwahati, the river is at it's narrowest, barely a kilometre wide. It was here that the historical battle of Saraighat was fought in 1671 between the Ahoms and the Mughals. Nearly three centures later in 1962, the first rail-cum-road bridge over the Brahmaputra was opened to traffic. Brahmaputra's exceptional characteristic is it's numerous islands including the world's largest populated river island, Majuli. The river along with it's tributaries, offers immense scope for adventure sport and recreation. Tributaries like Manas, Jia Bhoreli and Kopili have some fiery rapids that make them ideal for while water rafting On the Brahmaputra The tributaries of the Brahmaputra are also popular for angling, with Jia Bhoreli being the venue for an annual angling competition in November. The Department of Tourism and several private agencies operate luxury cruises on the Brahmaputra from October to April.